Letters to the Editor, Sept. 22

Proposed development could ruin downtown waterfront

I have lived in Gig Harbor for over 30 years. I live and work in the community.

Don’t ruin the historic Gig Harbor waterfront area! The trees at that intersection serve as an amazing backdrop both to boats coming into the Harbor as well as Mount Rainier looking massive while driving from the Harbor Museum toward Tides Tavern.

Besides the blue heron being protected, we don’t need 40 more houses, condos or anything else with more people, more traffic and more congestion in this area. Leave that to Uptown and all the massive leveling of nature to create concrete jungles around the Costco and YMCA area. Have you seen parking at the Tides as is?

Have you seen the traffic backup at our three-way stop sign in town, especially on a Friday go-home time? Federal Way and Bothell both used to be great places to live; Gig Harbor is trying to emulate all that is wrong with corporate greed. Neither the Cheneys nor the Haubs need the money — this is about keeping historic places historic. Nothing good will come from this.

Zoning changes to be discussed

The public is urged to attend the Gig Harbor City Council Work Session at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 3. On the agenda will be the further destruction of our small, historic, charming and unique downtown.

The mayor and City Council set up meetings to discuss rezoning downtown. The public was barred from attending. No recordings were made of these meetings. The Planning Department specifically invited some groups to comment. Everyday citizens did not receive the same invitation. One zoning change would eliminate single family zoning in all of downtown.

Another of these changes would rezone the Haub property.

The Haubs want to sell this property. This civic-minded family ignored an offer from Citizens for Gig Harbor (C4GH) and a land conservancy group to purchase this land to be used as a park. The Cheney family wants to purchase this property but the current zoning does not bring in enough money for them. They want to clear cut the trees on this property, and add 35 to 40 residential units.

If the council votes for the zoning change, the Cheneys might donate the big Egg building to the city. Sea level rise and the Shoreline Master Plan could cause this building to sink or not be viable.

This Cheney property could add 70 cars downtown.

The folks who live in Gig Harbor neighborhoods deserve more say than developers.

This story was originally published September 23, 2016 at 3:15 PM with the headline "Letters to the Editor, Sept. 22."